The mood wasn’t as dour or defeatist as one might have expected after the Kings fell behind the San Jose Sharks three games to none following a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 3 on April 22 at Staples Center. The Kings refused to hold a pity party despite their dire situation.

“It’s pretty self-explanatory,” Kings center Anze Kopitar said calmly after the game. “We’re down 3-0. Every piece to this puzzle is going to have to give it their all. We’re going to have to come out and throw everything we have at them and see what happens.”

If there was one turning point for the Kings and one significant moment above all the rest in their road to the Stanley Cup championship, then this was it. If their defiance and unwillingness to bend to the pressure or to accept defeat was rooted in one statement, then this was it.

In the end, it wasn’t just about scoring goals, preventing them, winning faceoffs or delivering body checks along the boards or in front of the nets. It was about playing the mind game better than the opposition. The Kings’ set their jaws, dug in their heels and refused to be beaten.

Every so often the best team on paper doesn’t win. Otherwise, the Sharks, Ducks or Chicago Blackhawks might be Stanley Cup champion today. The Kings proved with their comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the first round the team with the biggest stubborn streak frequently is the best.

The Kings took Game 4 from the Sharks, then Game 5, then Game 6 and finally Game 7 to become only the fourth team in NHL history to win a best-of-7 series after trailing 3-0. The seeds of the comeback were sown in Kopitar’s postgame statement, which epitomized their determination.

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There were other key moments, too, but it was the one short burst of words you won’t find on the celebratory postseason DVD or any other highlight-reel package that stood out above all the rest, that seemed to be the most fitting summary of the 2013-14 Kings.

Here, in chronological order are several others:

Justin Williams’ tiebreaking goal in Game 4 against San Jose, April 24: Williams went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. He made one big play after another during the postseason, and this was no exception. His goal late in the second period gave the Kings a 3-2 lead en route to a 6-3 victory over the Sharks that ignited an improbable comeback in the first-round series.

Jake Muzzin’s daring dash to score the first goal in Game 6 versus the Ducks, May 14: The Ducks won three consecutive games after dropping the first two in the first playoff series between the Southern California rivals at the Honda Center. Muzzin’s goal midway through the first period set the Kings back on a winning course. Their defense and goaltending enabled them to tie the series at 3-3.

Jonathan Quick’s penalty-shot save on Corey Perry in Game 7 versus the Ducks, May 16: The Kings took an early 2-0 lead, but Perry was awarded a penalty shot and as the Honda Center crowd roared, it would take only a flick of the wrist for the Ducks to get back into the game. Quick denied Perry, the Kings’ Mike Richards scored a little more than a minute later and Game 7 was all but history.

Jeff Carter’s hat trick in Game 2 against Chicago, May 21: The defending champion Blackhawks won Game 1 handily by turning misplays into goals and then built a 2-0 lead in the early moments of the second period of Game 2. Carter led the Kings’ comeback with three third-period goals in a 6-2 victory that changed the course of the series and put the Kings on a path to the Stanley Cup Final.

Alec Martinez’s overtime goal in Game 7 versus Chicago, June 1: The Kings won three consecutive Game 7’s on the road, a first in NHL history, with this clearly the closest and most nerve-jangling of the three. Martinez’s goal 5:47 into sudden-death overtime propelled the Kings to their second Stanley Cup Final in three seasons. It was a shot heard around the hockey universe.

Williams’ overtime goal in Game 1 versus New York, June 4: Only three days after Martinez’s goal, Williams supplied the winner off a turnover only 4:36 into overtime. “Mr. Game 7,” as Williams came to be known for his heroics in winner-take-all games, instantly was dubbed “Mr. Game 1” by teammates and reporters after setting the Kings on course for a 1-0 series lead with another huge goal.

Martinez’s double-overtime goal in Game 5 versus New York, June 13: Some moments are frozen in time and Martinez’s leaping image after scoring the Cup-winning goal at 14:43 of the second overtime will be one of them for Kings fans. Martinez jumped for joy and tossed his stick in the air. He jumped again and threw away his gloves. That’s what winning the Stanley Cup championship looked like in 2013-14.